


Just Fine

by hazcentric



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Eating Disorders, Gen, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-08
Updated: 2013-08-08
Packaged: 2017-12-22 20:17:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/917599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hazcentric/pseuds/hazcentric
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For the prompt: Hello would you mind writing me a fic where management is making Harry go on a diet( like strict so he practically doesn’t eat anything) and so he starts closing himself off from the boy’s cuz he doesn’t think he’s good enough and they confront him about it and realize he’s wayyy too skinny and so they ask him why and he breaks and tells them everything and they get mad at management and protect their Harry :) thanks lovely!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just Fine

**Author's Note:**

> So I'm slowly starting to import all my fics from my tumblr onto here. Feedback would be much appreciated!  
> tumblr: hazcentric

“Harry. We can’t help but notice that your eating habits have become rather… undesirable lately and it’s reflecting on your body.”

Harry honestly can’t see the problem in his eating habits. Sure, his diet tends to lean in on the ‘unhealthy’ side with all the junk food he and the lads are always stuffing themselves silly with, but he makes up for it with all the exercise he gets on stage practically every day. Plus, he has the appetite and metabolism of your average teenage boy, meaning that when he’s hungry, nothing remotely edible within a five mile radius is safe.

Management, it seems, has other ideas though.

“Now, normally this wouldn’t be a problem. However, it seems that the fans aren’t very pleased with your recent weight gain. So, we’ve decided that the best solution would be to put you on a strict diet.”

“Wait, what?” he asks incredulously, “A diet? Isn’t that a bit of an over exaggeration? I mean it’s only a few pounds!”

“Yes, well when those ‘few pounds’ are causing an uproar among the fans, it’s anything but an over exaggeration. Keep in mind that your fans are mostly teenage girls who like some eye candy along with their music.”

“But if they were-”

“Don’t start with the ‘real fans’ crap Styles. Real or not, they make up a majority of the fan base and if they don’t like something, we fix it.”

And that’s how it all starts.

~*~

It’s hard to change his diet Harry learns. At the end of their meeting, Management gives him a list of ‘acceptable’ and ‘non-acceptable’ foods, telling him that cheating would be useless since they would know. And he doesn’t doubt that for one second.

However, going through the list, Harry realizes just how difficult going about this would be. Not only does he have to give up his favorite foods like pizza and fish and chips and bangers, he has to practically give up food in general. And honestly, he finds it bloody ridiculous.

So, admittedly, at first he slacks off. Not enough for Management to notice, but enough to sneak in a few burgers here and there. A little rebellion is good for he soul, as his grandfather always said.

~*~

It’s when they’re shooting their new music video that he realizes that maybe, to some degree, Management is right. They’re all shirtless again, and Harry can’t help but notice how fit the others look with their flat bellies and straining abs. They’re most certainly eye candy. And compared to them, well, he does look a bit unflattering.

That night, when he comes home to his flat, the first thing he does is search all his kitchen cupboards. He goes through them meticulously, pulling out every package of cookies and pasta and candy. Then, he throws everything out.

It’s a first step towards… something, and he’d be lying if he says it doesn’t feel good.

~*~

He has a few meetings with management. They seem pretty pleased with his progress. He’s pretty pleased too. His stomach seems flatter, even though it’s grumbling half the time, and his cheeks are less pudgy.

“Soon Styles,” they tell him, “You’ll be as good looking as the rest of the lads. Until then, stick to the diet. Don’t waste all your hard work.”

Harry promises himself he won’t.

~*~

Over the next few weeks, his eating, or lack thereof, starts escalating. He learns better than to keep food in kitchen, where it just sits and tempts him with all of i’s calorific goodness. The only things that he stocks up on are the foods deemed ‘acceptable’ by Management- cucumbers, sugar-free Jello, yogurt. He drinks water often, almost to the point where he’s drinking three gallons a day. And, while he’s on his diet, he starts noticing how disgusting he actually is.

His thighs and arms are jiggly, his stomach pudgy. He can literally pinch all the fat on his waist. Compared to the boys, Harry looks like a joke. He doesn’t see what the boys find in him- how they can still stand to look at him. Because he certainly can’t even look into the mirror without breaking down.

And all the while, he keeps drinking water religiously and eating an apple a day, maybe some yogurt if they have something big scheduled, and when he steps on the scale, the number keeps getting smaller and smaller. Which, honestly doesn’t make sense because the boy in the mirror keeps getting bigger and bigger.

~*~

It happens on a Wednesday. Harry, as usual lately is in his flat. He simply does not see the point of going out anymore, where people will point and stare and laugh at his disgustingly fat body. That, and he’s not sure he even has the energy to get out of bed.

He’s trying to come up with a plan on what to do with his situation on tour. It’s not like he can hide from the lads forever, and on the bus, it’ll be obvious that he’s not eating (even though that’s not technically true since he does eat… just in smaller amounts).

He’s so deep in thought that he doesn’t hear the door open and his four best friends come in.

“Haz! You in here?” Louis yells from inside the living room.

And  _shit_. What the  _hell_  is he supposed to do now?

“Of course he’s in here.” Niall says, “Check in his room.”

Harry’s so glad he decided to sleep with a shirt on last night. This way, at least they wouldn’t be able to see exactly how ugly he’d become.

“Harry?” Liam knocks at the door, “Are you decent? Because-”

“Liam. It’s Harry. Since when does he care about decency?” Louis scolds, opening the door.

And suddenly they’re all in his room, standing awkwardly in the doorway.

“Hyia Haz! We just came in to check up on you. Since it seems both your phone and your computer are broken.” Louis says happily.

“They’re not broken.” He replies sluggishly, and then mentally curses himself for talking out loud. He’s learned over the past few weeks that his voice is another unflattering quality of his. It’s slow and rumbly, but unlike his body, he can’t really change it.

“Course they are. If they weren’t you would’ve answered our billions of messages.”

“Listen mate.” Zayn says, “We’re worried about you. You hardly ever hang out with us anymore and you’re ignoring our messages and-”

“Are you mad at us?” Niall asks, blinking those huge puppy eyes at him.

“What? No! Of course not! It’s just that…”

“Just that what Harry?” Louis asks.

“Nothing. I’m sorry I’ve been a shit friend lately. I promise I’ll somehow make it up to you guys.”

The boys (surprise, surprise) don’t seem convinced. However, Niall’s face splits into a large grin, and he yells “GROUP HUG!”

Before Harry can even blink, he’s covered in four comfortably familiar weights.

“Guys, can’t breathe!” He says, laughing for the first time in what seems like months.

However, the lads aren’t laughing. And Harry’s starting to panick because  _oh god, they can tell how huge he’s gotten and how fat he is and now they’ll never even look at him without turning their heads away in disgust_.

“Haz?” Louis asks quietly, “Can you please tell me what I’m feeling here?”

“Err… Nothing?” he answers quietly, tears pooling in his eyes.

“Exactly Haz! You’re…. You’re practically skin and bones!”

Wait…  _what_?

“Take off your shirt Harry.” Liam says evenly.

“I- I don’t think that-”

He’s interrupted by Zayn and Niall yanking his shirt off. Unable to look the boys, he closes his eyes.

He hears someone’s sharp inhale and someone else’s gasp.

“Oh Haz.” Louis says sadly.

And Harry breaks down completely. Because now the boys know exactly how disgusting he looks and how he’ll never compare to them and they’ll leave him.

“I’m sorry. I-I’m sorry.” Is all he manages to stutter out between his sobs.

Immediately, he’s surrounded once again by four warm bodies.

“Just tell us why yeah?” Zayn says, stroking his hair.

“I-I’m fat and disgusting and I’m not eye candy l-like you and-”

“Whoa! Harry, love, you are not fat or disgusting. How could you be? You’re skin and bones Haz!” Louis says grabbing him by the arms. Harry’s shocked to see tears in his eyes.

“N-No I’m not. Stop lying! M-Management was right to put me on a diet. I’m n-nothing compared to you guys.”

“Wait… Management? Management made you do this?” Liam asks from somewhere behind him.

“Those sick sons of bitches.” Louis spits out furiously.

“N-No! They’re right! I-I was getting too fat, and I still am, b-but I’m working on it. I-I promise! P-please don’t hate me!”

“Haz. We could never hate you. Never ever.” Niall says kissing the top of his forehead. “And you’re not fat love. You’ve never been fat. You’re beautiful just the way you are.”

Harry doesn’t say anything, too emotionally drained to react.

“C’mon love. Let’s put you to bed. We’ll figure out everything tomorrow.” Zayn says, tucking him in.

“Don’t leave. Please.” He manages to whisper.

“Never.” Liam promises, laying down beside him.

Niall clamors besides Liam, but entwines their feet together.

Zayn and Louis climb up beside him next.  

“Get some sleep love. We’ll be here when you wake up.”

So Harry drifts off, with Liam stroking his hair, and Louis whispering how beautiful and perfect he is in his ear. And for the first time, in a long time, he thinks that maybe he was wrong and Management was wrong and that he really is just fine.


End file.
